Redemption part 1: Where is the Love
by Blu Taiger
Summary: AU Songfic. Draco has an encounter with a group of muggles one night that could change his view of the war. Set to the Black Eyed Peas's song, Where is the love


**Disclaimer: **I do not own Draco Malfoy or any other Harry Potter characters. J.K. Rowling does. Nor do I own the song, _Where is the Love_. It belongs to the Black Eyed Peas.

…ooOoo…

I suppose it's funny in a way. The concept of belief, loyalty, right and wrong. You live with your parents and you grow up thinking that whatever they do is right.

I had always been taught that we were superior to all others because we were Pure Bloods. Sure the Half Bloods were alright, but not as good as the Pure Bloods. As for the muggles, they were merely a pathetic slime ball of an excuse for life. Beings that were unworthy of this world and didn't deserve it.

My father always believed this. So it's only natural that I did too.

When the Dark Lord came to power, my father was among the first to join him. The Dark Lord had power and a vision, a goal. He was determined to bring all of the filth-ridden muggles under his thumb, irradiating them all… along with anyone who felt sympathy toward them.

These were the same beliefs my father held; and ultimately, myself.

At least, that's what I thought.

…ooOoo…

When I started going to school I got a taste of the supposed rubbish of muggles. Several of the other students there were of muggle decent. The most prominent of which was that Granger girl.

'_If she's from such an inferior race, why is she always doing better than me?'_ I often wondered to myself. Still, I didn't really dwell on it much. I was still a Pure Blood after all.

Then of coarse there was Dumbledore, that old muggle loving fool. Father always did say he was the _worst_ thing to happen to Hogwarts! But still, I couldn't help but feel the slightest bit of awe for him. He was very powerful indeed. Yet he seemed to hold no quarrel or malice to the muggles.

'_But how can he not!'_ As far as I knew, his blood was as pure as any from my own family. Didn't he realize what muggles were?

Then the thought began to creep inside of me. Maybe he _did_ know what they were. Maybe I, my father, the Dark Lord, all of _us_ were wrong!

The thought of it shamed me at the time. I was a Pure Blood for crying out loud! How could I possibly think that the muggles weren't worthless scum bags that needed to be exterminated? Still, the thought weighed heavily on my conscience. So much that when it came time for me to kill Dumbledore,… I just couldn't do it.

However, what really changed my way of thinking was the muggles themselves.

…ooOoo…

I was out fulfilling a task the Dark Lord had ordered me. (I forget exactly what it was I was supposed to do, but I guess that doesn't really matter now.) A small group of muggles were gathered around a park bench that night. As I passed by them, brooding over the war and muggles and several other things, I noticed the strange device they had with them. Some sort of black, box-like object that was emitting music (I guess you could call it music).

I walked on by, determined not to give them any notice. But as I walked on, the thing they had began playing its music again.

First music was emitted from it, followed by a mans voice singing

_What's wrong with the world, mamma? People livin' like they ain't got no mammas. I think the whole world addicted to the drama, only attracted to things that'll bring you trauma._

_Overseas, yeah, we try to stop terrorism. But we still got terrorists livin' in the USA, the big CIA, the Bloods and the Cips and the KKK._

I started to walk away. It was all just "Muggle Rubbish" after all. I had more important things to do than sit around and listen to that trash. But as I started to turn, the next words that came from that… booming-boxy thing gave me reason to pause.

_But if you only have love for your own race, then you only leave space to discriminate. And to discriminate only generates hate. And when you hate, then you're bound to get_ _irate, yeah._

_Madness is what you demonstrate, and that's exactly how anger works and operates. Man, you gotta have love just to set it strait. Take control of your mind and meditate, let the soul gravitate to the love, y'all, y'all._

_People killin', people dyin'. Children hurt and you hear them cryin'. Can you practice what you preach? And would you turn the other cheek?_

_Father, Father, Father help us, send some guidance from above. 'Cause people got me, got me questionin' Where is the love?_

_Where is the love?_

_Where is the love?_

_Where is the love, the love, the love?_

The words struck me like a hammer blow. It was almost as if the device was speaking directly to me. It frightened me.

I wanted to leave. I _needed_ to leave! But my legs would not move; they stayed firmly planted where they were and music, cynically ignoring my turmoil, carried on.

_It just ain't the same, always unchanged. New days are strange, is the world insane? If love and peace is so strong, why are there pieces of love that don't belong?_

_Nations droppin' bombs, chemical gasses fillin' lungs of little ones. With ongoin' sufferin' as the youth die young. So ask yourself Is the lovin' really gone? So I can ask myself Really what is goin' wrong with this world that we livin' in people keep on givin' in making wrong decisions, only visions of them dividends._

_Not resectin' each other, deny thy brother. A war is goin' on, but the reason's under cover._

The reason's under cover. Never before had any words such an impact on me as these did. If we weren't wiping out a worthless, inferior race, then what was this war really about?

_The truth is kept secret, it's swept under the rug. If you never know truth, then you never know love. Where's the love, y'all? Come on (I don't know) _

_Where's the truth, y'all? Come on (I don't know)_

_Where's the love, y'all?_

_People killin', people dyin'. Children hurt and you hear them cryin'. Can you practice what you preach? And would you turn the other cheek?_

_Father, Father, Father help us, send some guidance from above. 'Cause people got me, got me questionin' Where is the love?_

_Where is the love?_

_Where is the love?_

_Where is the love, the love, the love?_

All feeling in my limbs had gone and left. I could do naught but stand entranced by these haunting words.

I could only slide down to the solid earth, feeling the burden of all that had transpired through the past years, and listen to the remainder of the lyrics.

_I feel the weight of the world on my shoulder. As I'm getting older, y'all, people gets colder._

_Most of us only care about money makin'. Selfishness got us followin' our wrong direction. Wrong information always shown by the media. Negative images is the main criteria. Infecting the young minds faster than bacteria. Kids wanna act like what they see in the cinema_

_Yo', whatever happened to the values of humanity? Whatever happened to the fairness in equality? Instead of spreading love, we spreading animosity. Lack of understanding, leading lives away from unity._

_That's the reason why sometimes I'm feelin' under. That's the reason why sometimes I'm feelin' down. There's no reason why sometimes I'm feelin' under. Gotta keep my faith alive till live is found._

_People killin', people dyin'. Children hurt and you hear them cryin'. Can you practice what you preach? And would you turn the other cheek?_

_Father, Father, Father help us, send some guidance from above. 'Cause people got me, got me questionin' Where is the love?_

_Where is the love?_

_Where is the love?_

_Where is the love?_

_Where is the love?_

The song had ended. I knew it had, but somehow, it didn't quite register. I couldn't conceive anything after what had just transpired. I was not aware of the earth beneath me, the tree at my back, the shimmering stars glaring down upon me, the carefree ants scurrying about their routine tasks beneath my feet, all that remained was the echoing of those words mockingly playing over and over in my head.

Only when my left arm began to burn did reality snap back at me like a whip. I raised my hand to see the Dark Mark Gleaming vilely at me, as black as coal and stinging like a stoker heated in the very fires of Hades.

The Dark Lord was summoning his followers to him. I knew he would be angry with me – more so then usual. Still there was nothing I could do. I would just have to face his wrath and deal with the consequence. And possibly my own death.

Or would I?

As I raised myself to my feet, I remembered some of the last words Dumbledore had said to me that night.

"He cannot kill you if you are already dead. Come over to the right side, Draco, and we can hide you more completely than you can possibly imagine –"

If I'm already dead. Yes, yes of coarse. I got to my feet and prepared for what I should have done that night.

Glancing down, I gave one last look at the mark – that horrible, foul blight – and pulling my sleeve up over it, I walked off into the night.


End file.
